72 Pillars
by DaemonLevi
Summary: Percy Jackson and his allies have just survived Tartarus. They've shut the Doors of Death and are looking forward to a short break before the final battle with Gaea. Of course, the life of a Demigod is never that kind. One day, two boys appear in Camp Half-Blood, claiming to be from the Vatican! Rated T for language, content and violence. OCs appear in this story.
1. Chapter 1

Chiron eyes looked over his guests. Camp Half-Blood did not entertain many guests, especially mortal ones.

But these two were different.

The one on the right had introduced himself as Sam. His features were predominantly Asian, but his eyes had a hint of Latino in them.

The one on the left had introduced himself as Mike. His appearance however, was a typical blond hair, blue-eyed boy from California. Both of them had the build of a seasoned warrior.

_The two of them wouldn't look out of place in Camp Half-Blood. _Chiron mused to himself. Of course, these boys didn't have a drop of Godly blood in them. That much Chiron could sense. They did however, have an unusual aura around them. Chiron couldn't deduce exactly what kind of power he was sensing from the two boys.

"Are you alright?" Mike asked, breaking Chiron out of his trance. "I apologize. I'm sure this is all rather disorientating." Chiron smiled.

"It is indeed. I didn't think that you of all people would offer the hand of friendship to us." Sam laughed.

"Nor did I. Generally, whenever we're sent out, it's to cleanse what the boss deems to be _pagan _scum."

"Sam!" Mike hits his partner's arm. "Bow your head and pray to the Lord for forgiveness!"

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm sorry." Sam laughs. "Chill out man! Here, the big G doesn't have precedence. This is Greek territory!"

"Blasphemy!"

Chiron looked at the two boys bickering in front of him. _They really are like normal teenagers. _ Chiron waited patiently for the two of them to calm down.

"I-I apologize." Mike inclined his head. "We went a little overboard there."

"It's alright." Chiron smiled. "Now then, why don't you tell me why the Holy See has suddenly developed an interest in this camp?"

* * *

The Holy See. The headquarters of the largest religion in the world, the Holy See was located in Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Located within the city of Rome, it had a little over 800 official residents. And yet, this tiny city controlled over 1.2 billion people.

Sitting in front of Chiron were two representatives from the Holy See.

Chiron knew he had to be careful about what he said. A single mistake could lead to a holy war. And Chiron wasn't deluded enough to think the Greeks could win. With the power of 1.2 billion believers, the Vatican had enough power to destroy Greece a hundred times over. If the Vatican joined the war against Gaea, the war would be over within days.

This was the power that these two boys represented.

"…This is a nice camp." Sam exclaimed. "It's definitely a change from Vatican City." Sam looks out the window. In the distance, campers are playing football. "It's incredibly peaceful…" Sam's eyes glaze over. Chiron, in spite of himself, couldn't help but ask a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Why are boys such as yourselves representing the Vatican?" Sam continued to stare out the window.

"Faith has no age." Mike answered for Sam. "We were chosen due to our faith in the Lord."

"What he said." Sam turned back towards Chiron. "But enough about that. We're here to offer you help in your war."

"…" Chiron could not believe his ear. The Vatican was offering help against Gaea's forces? "This is unusual. Pantheons tend to avoid direct interference with other Pantheons."

"That's true." Sam replied, his face revealing nothing. "But in this case, your problem is larger than you may realize."

"How so?"

"…Sam." Mike interjected. "You know we can't-"

"Do you know what's the problem with the Christian religion?" Sam suddenly asked a question.

"…Pardon?" Chiron wasn't quite sure if he had heard right.

"Do you know what's wrong with Christianity?"

"...I'm afraid I do not know." Chiron isn't sure if this is a test, a method of inciting a war. He would have to treat carefully. A single insult, a single misspoken word, could lead to another war. _What was the Vatican's aim?_

"It's variety." Sam placed his hands on the table. "The Anglicans, the Russian Orthodox, the Protestants, the Catholics. Of the 1.2 billion believers that we have, not all of them are Christian. And this is where the problem arises."

Sam drew a number of circles onto the table. "Their interpretations of the Bible are different. These differences lead to contradictions, which lead to conflicts." Sam looked up at Chiron. "And it is this internal battle, no internal war, that is tearing the Vatican apart. The Holy See's power is weakening. The faith of the 1.2 billion believers is growing weaker."

"I understand, but what has this got to do with the war against Gaea?" Sam and Mike looked at each other. Some invisible message must have passed between them, because Mike stood up and walked towards the door. Chiron watched as he stepped out, before closing the door behind him.

"…What do you know about John Milton?" Sam asked.

"The author?" Chiron racked his brain for a moment. "The man who wrote Paradise Lost?"

"_Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n._" Sam smiled bitterly. "That poem is surprisingly accurate in depicting Hell. But obviously, you know why I'm mentioning him of all people." Chiron thought for a moment. There was something about that poem that rung a bell. And suddenly, all the pieces came together. The reason why the Vatican had suddenly appeared before him was clear.

"Pandemonium. The meeting place of the Infernal Council." Chiron murmured quietly.

Within the book however, Pandemonium is also given a different name. A name that Chiron was very familiar with. After all, two of his Demigods had barely survived their time down there.

Tartarus.

"Correct. That's why we're here." Sam sighed. "After that ruckus with the Doors of Death down there, the seals keeping the Council chained came undone. The 72 Pillars are awakening." Chiron shuddered.

The 72 Pillars. The 72 strongest demons in Christian faith, it was said that they had all been sealed by the legendary King of Israel, Solomon. Chiron didn't even want to consider the damage that 72 demons could wreck upon the world. But it was the next thing that Sam said that caused Chiron to fall into despair.

"And if they do awaken, they will ally themselves with Gaea." Sam finished. "The 72 Pillars, along with their 40 million or so servants? A force like that could easily crush destroy us all many, many times over." 40 million? Chiron felt himself pale at the thought of that many monsters. And add the Giants, Titans and the rest of Gaea's forces to that number?

If they were to join forces and attack humanity, it wouldn't be a war.

It would be a massacre.

"So what do we do?" Chiron asked. "How can we stop the 72 Pillars from awakening?"

"No idea." Sam admitted. "The IAE is currently working on finding a solution."

"The IAE?"

"International Association of Exorcists." Sam replied. "They're pretty useless in combat, but when it comes to demonology, they're the best."

"…very well." Chiron glanced at the clock. It was nearing 6:30. Chiron had had enough darkness and despair for one day. "Would you care to join us for dinner? Camp Half-Blood has a bonfire party every Friday night."

"We would love to!" Sam replied, smiling.

* * *

**Huh. This is my first time writing Fanfiction for a book rather than a manga. I've already read House of Hades, so this story happens afterwards. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Rate and Review!**

**Daemon**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Percy looked over at the newcomers. He was seated at the Poseidon table. Next to him, Annabeth and Grover are busy chatting happily about something. Across the table, Leo and Jason are busy trying to see who can stuff their face the fastest, with Piper, Hazel and Frank cheering them on from the sidelines.

"Come on! One more baked potato!"

"Oh my Gods! I didn't know you could eat a pizza like that! That's like…16 inches!"

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Hazel, unable to continue watching the boys stuff themselves, turned back towards the table. "Hey Percy, what are you looking at?"

"Huh? Oh the new people." Hazel's eyes followed Percy's gaze.

"They feel…weird." Hazel murmured.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. He had also felt something off about the newcomers, but he hadn't been able to pinpoint it.

"It's like their…existence is rejecting their surroundings. Sort of like how you can't push a pyramid block into a circular hole. They just don't match." Hazel blinked once. "Sorry, that made no sense."

"No I understand." Percy looked at the newcomers again. If he concentrated, he could see the air around them distort slightly. It was incredibly unnerving. "I don't know why, but I think I know what you mean. Them being here feels…wrong."

Almost as if he could hear Percy, one of the newcomers looked up and smiled. Percy felt his hairs stand on end upon seeing the boy's smile. Percy had seen that smile before.

It had been the same smile Kronos/Luke had when he stood in the Olympus Throne Room.

It was the smile of someone who knew he had the upper hand.

"Percy?" Hazel's voice shaked Percy out of his trance. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Percy muttered, his eyes watching the newcomer. "I'm fine."

* * *

"So that's Perseus Jackson." Sam returned to his meal. "He has strong eyes."

"Indeed. The Lord has definitely blessed this child." Mike exclaimed, his hands put together in prayer. A rumbling sound fills the sky for a moment. Sam immediately smacks Mike on the head.

"Idiot! We're in Greek territory right now!"

"All the world is underneath our Lord's autho-" Mike is cut off when Sam smacks him again, only much harder.

"…sorry about that." Sam apologized. "Mike is somewhat of a zealot, even by the Church's standards."

"Blasphem-" Mike is once again cut short when Sam stuffed a hot dog into his mouth.

"Now then, moving on." Sam smiled. "The plan."

"Yes, the plan." Chiron sighed. "The incredibly dangerous and crazy plan that you outlined on the way here."

"That's the best plan I have."

"I know. And that's what worries me." Chiron shook his head. "Two of my campers just returned from there. And now you want them to return? I can't ask that of a person! It's a miracle they survived!"

"Well you don't really have a choice." Sam popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "If you don't go along with this plan, we all die. We both know full well that we won't survive a double pronged attack by Gaea and the 72 Pillars."

"…" Chiron silently contemplates the argument Sam had just handed him. Chiron knew full well that Sam was correct. But to ask them to return to Tartarus? After all they had been through?

"…fine." Sam suddenly leaned backwards. "I can tell this is going to go nowhere." Sam motioned to Mike, who immediately swallowed the hot dog he was chewing. "We'll use another method."

"Another…method?" Chiron felt the hair on his back stand up.

"You guys have some sort of war game every Friday correct?" Chiron nodded. "Then we'll find out through that. If Perseus Jackson fails, then we'll leave him alone. If he passes, then we'll take him."

"Wouldn't it be in his best interests to fail then?" Sam grinned.

"I don't expect him to fail this test." Sam stood up from the table. "Not if his friend's lives are at stake."

* * *

Percy blinked once upon hearing Chiron's words. _You've got to be kidding me!_

Next to him, Annabeth's face also had the same look of disbelief etched on it.

Around the campfire, Percy could hear the fervent whispering of his fellow campers.

"Is he for real?"

"The Holy See? You mean the Vatican?"

"Those two are representatives from the Catholic Church?"

One of the two boys suddenly stepped forward.

"Hello! My name is Samael, but you can just call me Sam. As Chiron has just mentioned, I'm a representative of the Church." Percy noted that Sam had not used the word Catholic in his introduction. "My partner here is Michael, also known as Mike."

"Michael…" Annabeth murmured under her breath. "One of the Archangels within the Catholic religion."

"Samael?" Hazel furrows her brow. "Why have heard of that name before?"

"Probably because he doesn't exist within the modern Catholic Church. At least, not in name." Annabeth's face suddenly twisted into a grimace. "The name Samael, in Jewish lore, is said to represent the Angel of Death himself. You've probably heard the Bible story about the people's of Egypt's first born children suddenly dying?"

A vivid memory of an old woman on the street preaching that story flashed through Percy's mind. She had terrified him, with her small beady eyes and leather skin.

"Well it's said that that was the doing of Samael. He's kind of like the secret weapon of God, who takes care of unleashing divine retribution."

"Samael…" Jason's eyes are distant for a moment. "That name has something to do with Rome doesn't it? I've seen it somewhere in New Rome…"

"Probably because Samael is the patron angel of Rome." Annabeth looked at the two boys. "I doubt it's a coincidence that two people from the Vatican just so happen to have the names of the Leader of the Archangels and the Angel of Death."

Percy then voiced the question that everyone had on his or her mind.

"What do they want with us?"

* * *

Sam looked at the sea of faces in front of him. Behind him, Mike was checking his phone. Next to Mike, Chiron was watching Sam, his face revealing nothing.

"It's done." Mike suddenly muttered. "All the preparations have been completed."

"It's show time then." Sam cleared his throat. "This is going to go downhill from here."

"We still can back out, try to reason with them! We don't have to-" Whatever Mike was about to say was cut off when Sam raised his hand.

"Don't worry Mike." Sam smiled. "You don't need to carry the sins of our actions on your back. Your job is to bathe in the light."

Mike wordlessly placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, before quickly removing it and stepping back.

Once again, Sam felt the familiar feeling of loneliness wrap around him.

"…heh." Sam smile turned bitter. "Seems like I have to become the hated one again."

* * *

**This story is going to take a while to write. Mainly because I'm trying to actually develop the story, rather then make them kill each other. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Daemon**


	3. Chapter 3

Percy, without even realizing it, had Riptide in his hand. He wasn't the only one. All around the campfire, campers had their weapons ready, their eyes screaming murder.

And the one who was responsible was standing, completely unperturbed and with a smile on his face.

"Huh. Seems like that caught your attention." Sam clapped his hands. " Those death glares are pretty nice."

"…You monster." One of the Apollo campers suddenly snapped. "Let my mother go!" With a single movement, an arrow was notched and fired at Sam.

"Hehe." With a single deft movement, Sam caught and snapped the arrow with one hand. "Not bad, not bad. Had I just stood still, that arrow would have gone straight through my skull."

"Then how about this!?" Suddenly, three Ares campers jumped at Sam, their weapons posed to strike.

Percy watched, stone-faced, as the three warriors engaged Sam in combat. He felt his blood boil as Sam effortlessly took down the three of them with nothing more then his fists.

"Anyone else?" Sam asked, a cocky smile on his face. "If this is the best you can do, how are you going to save your parents from me?"

"...that's it." Jason stood up. In his right hand, his lance had suddenly appeared. "I can't take this anymore."

"…" Percy tried to calm down. He knew that impulsive action would not end well in this case. Even though his mother was-

"Sally Jackson." Sam's voice cut like a knife. "She put up quite a struggle you know? Nearly knocked out one of my men. Paul was also quite difficult to handle as well-"

Sam was cut short when Riptide slashed downwards. Had it not been for Sam's incredibly reflexes, he would have been cut in two.

"Ha! That was pretty good!" Sam laughed, landing a short distance away from Percy. In Sam's right hand, a thick book had materialized.

"Don't say her name!" Percy screamed, swinging his blade down.

"_Dust to dust, ashes to ashes! As your Angel of Death, grant me the tools needed to bring those to the end!" _The book suddenly morphs into a giant scythe, which Sam uses to block Percy's attack. "Getting a little hot under the collar?"

"Let-them-go!" With each word, Percy hacked at Sam, who blocked each blow with the scythe's shaft.

"How about…no?" Sam replied, suddenly dashing forward and hitting Percy with his shoulder. The surprise attack sent Percy flying backwards. "Is this all? I thought the hero who survived Tartarus would be capable of more then just swinging a sword."

Sam spun the scythe around his body a few times, before pointing the blade at Percy.

"If you can't even save one person, how do you expect to save the world?"

* * *

"Ugh…" Percy moaned. Sam's shoulder tackle had hit him right in the chest, completely knocking the wind out of him. Percy's entire brain felt groggy.

"Is that all?" Sam's voice echoes in Percy's brain. "I thought the hero who survived Tartarus would be capable of more then just swinging a sword."

Percy felt his anger burn even more. Using Riptide as a crutch, Percy forced himself to stand. But then his knees buckled underneath him. The injuries that Percy had sustained in Tartarus had yet to fully heal.

"Damn it!" Percy cursed through gritted teeth. "I need to-"

"No you don't." Jason's voice called from behind Percy. "Leave him to me."

* * *

Sam watched as Percy gasped for breath on the ground. He had deliberately aimed to take down Percy in the fastest way possible. Just like in the story of Jason and Goliath, once the strongest fighter went down, the remaining fighters would surrender.

Or at least, that was Sam's aim. Unfortunately, it seemed like another camper had stood up to take Percy's place. Sam could feel the power literally flowing out of the newcomer's body.

"Oh? Is this a tag-team battle then?" Sam laughed, tilting his head slightly. He knew that if he showed any weakness, the plan would be ruined. "Alrighty then, bring it on!"

"With pleasure." Jason replied, pointing his lance upwards. Suddenly, the sky begun to rumble. With a loud crackle, a massive lightning bolt crashed downwards, striking the spear and engulfing it in electricity.

"Huh." Sam, upon seeing the attack, smiled fearlessly. "That's pretty flashy. But flashy moves mean nothing if they don't hit!"

With dancer like movements, Sam spun his body around, his scythe twirling like a top. Jason, unable to read the blade's trajectory, was forced to jump backwards.

"Got ya!" Sam, taking full advantage of Jason's retreat, immediately slid his hand down his scythe's shaft. The blade's reach suddenly extended, bringing Jason well into the scythe's reach.

Unable to move in mid air, Jason could do nothing but wait for the blade to pierce his ribs.

Or at least, that's what Sam thought.

Just as the blade was about to touch Jason, Sam felt the air change slightly.

Acting on impulse, Sam pulled the scythe backwards. At the same time, Jason's lance, empowered with lightning, flew forward, its tip aimed at Sam's chest.

"Tch!" Sam immediately moved the shaft of the scythe in the path of the lance, while at the same jumped backwards.

The lance, upon touching Sam's scythe, released an explosion of lightning, sending both Sam and Jason flying backwards.

Jason stabbed his lance into the ground, immediately stopping his rapid movement.

Sam on the other hand, preformed a mid-air backflip before using the scythe's blade to bring himself to a stop.

Both fighters glared at each other from each side of the battlefield.

"Not bad." Sam admitted, bending down so that his scythe was resting on his back. "Not many people can fight against slashing weapons with incredibly long ranges like my scythe."

"I've had practice." Jason replied, flipping his lance into the air. Immediately, it returned to its coin form.

"Cool toy." Sam commented, a smile on his face. Suddenly, Sam was in front of Jason, his scythe swinging towards Jason's legs. "But you shouldn't be playing with toys in a fight!"

"This isn't a toy." Jason replied calmly, catching the coin and materializing his sword. At the same time, Jason hopped into the air, dodging the scythe slash.

"…ha." Sam laughed softly as Jason brought his sword down on Sam's head.

Blood exploded from Sam's body.

"What the-" Jason's eyes widened in shock. In the moment before Jason's sword struck home, Sam had drawn a knife and stabbed it into his own leg, thus creating a barrier between himself and Jason's blade. "Are you mad!?"

"You're too soft." Sam replied, drawing the knife out of his leg and lunging forward. Jason instinctively jumped backwards. Sam, not bothering to wait, spun around and slashed at Jason with his scythe. This time, the scythe blade cut deep into Jason's flank.

"Ugh!" Jason groaned, stumbling backwards.

"If you're not willing to sacrifice something, then how do you intend to win?" Sam continued his brutal attack, his scythe unleashing a whirlwind of attacks.

Jason, still injured by the cut, could do nothing but guard against the barrage of attacks.

"Jason!" Piper cried from the sidelines.

"This is the end." Sam positioned the scythe behind Jason's neck. "I'll make this quick."

"STOP IT!" Piper screamed. Just like that, Sam suddenly froze. In that instant, Jason darted forward and smashed the hilt of his sword into Sam's face.

"Gah!?" Sam gasped, blood flowing freely from his nose. "What the-"

"Sacrifice?" Jason asked, kneeing Sam in the stomach. "I was taught that everything should be sacrificed for the greater good!" Sam stumbled backwards, his hand clutching his stomach.

"As the son of Jupiter, I was expected to be the leader, to be the one who made the hard choices!" Sam, in an attempt to defend himself, lunged forward with his knife.

Jason parried the knife with his blade and used his free hand to punch Sam on the jaw.

"Many times, I had the choice to sacrifice my comrades to complete my goals!" Sam was on one knee now, his scythe and knife lying useless next to him. Jason walked over to Sam and grabbed him by his shirt. "And do you know what I did?"

"No clue." Sam said, spitting blood onto Jason's shirt.

"I saved them all." Jason replied. "I saved them without sacrificing a single one of my comrades."

"Heh. How sweet." Sam looked Jason in the eye. "So you think you can save them no matter what?"

"No matter what." Jason replied.

"Even against an army of 40 million demons?"

"40 million-" Jason's eyes widened in horror at the number. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Sam smiled. "40 million of Hell's finest alongside Gaea's forces. Even with the Vatican's support, humanity will burn." Sam looked Jason in the eye. "So, what do you say? Will you still be able to protect this camp without any sacrifices?"

"…" Jason looked around him. The faces of his fellow campers stared back. "Of course." Jason turned back to Sam. "This is my home. And I intend to protect it. Even if I have to give my life."

Sam was quiet for a moment, his eyes emotionless. Suddenly, he laughed.

"You'll protect this tiny camp against an army of 40 million? Are you mad?"

"You're right. I made a mistake." Jason admitted. "I meant I'd protect the world from them. Not just this camp."

"…haaa." Sam shook his head slowly. "It's hard to laugh at such confidence, especially since you actually believe the words that are coming out of your mouth."

Sam pulled out a phone and tapped a few keys. "There, your parents are safe now. I even had my men wipe their minds so that this entire ordeal will be forgotten."

"…why did you do this?" This time Percy was the one who asked the question. "I can sense you aren't a bad person. What's your aim, taking our parents hostage? And why did you suddenly releasing them?"

"Because I can't help but like idealistic fools such as yourselves." Sam placed the phone back into his pocket. "And ultimately, its fools such as yourselves that we need." Sam turned to Michael. "I've finished my part. They've passed." Sam walked over and smacked Michael's shoulder softly.

Percy heard Sam softly whisper a few words to Michael.

"It's time for the Light to cleanse the Darkness." Percy saw Michael visibly stiffened upon hearing those words. Before Michael could say anything, Sam had disappeared into the shadows.

Percy felt a feeling of Déjà vu flowed through him as he watched Sam disappear. It took him a moment to realize why.

It had been in this spot that Nico had left Camp Half-Blood all those years ago.


End file.
